Matchups: Friend or foe for Charlotte’s Victor Tucker, App State’s Shemar Jean-Charles?
Charlotte 49ers junior receiver Victor Tucker and Appalachian State senior cornerback Shemar Jean-Charles are friends from their time growing up in Miami. They’re close enough that they hung out and hit the gym together this summer in Charlotte.
They’d already faced off a few times in college, the Mountaineers beating the 49ers both times, a subject that Jean-Charles no doubt was happy to remind Tucker of. They also didn’t think that they’d play against each other in college again, with the next Charlotte-App State game scheduled for 2026.
Little did they know that in a few months they would actually go against each other once more. That’ll happen Saturday when Charlotte faces App State in Boone in a game that was scheduled after both teams had nonconference games canceled due to the coronavirus.
“He’s a close friend of mine,” Jean-Charles said of Tucker. “He’s an exceptional receiver. Before we found out we were playing each other, we were actually down in Charlotte working out with each other. We worked out when we were home and we emphasized the social distance. We had the same trainer, so we were able to get a couple reps, one-on-one stuff like that. So we have a good relationship. We talk all the time.”
Tucker, an honorable mention all-Conference USA player last season, has played well against the Mountaineers and Jean-Charles, with 10 receptions for 123 yards in the two games. He had two big touchdown catches in the fourth quarter that helped keep Charlotte in last season’s game, a 56-41 Mountaineers victory.
The two pals will see plenty of each other Saturday afternoon. But the friendship will be put on hold for a few hours.
“On game day, I’m locked in,” said Jean-Charles, a third team all-Sun Belt Conference selection last season. “Regardless, once you step on the field, everybody else in opposite colors is an opponent.”
Charlotte run game vs. App State run defense
The 49ers are without their top running back from last season in Benny LeMay, but appear to have two capable replacements in Aaron McAllister and Tre Harbison. Plugging up the middle of the Mountaineers’ 3-4 defense will be junior nose tackle George Blackstock, who started two games last season.
Charlotte pass game vs. App State pass defense
Charlotte quarterback Chris Reynolds blistered the Mountaineers secondary for 296 yards and four TDs last season. His top receivers from that game — Victor Tucker, Cam Dollar and Micaleous Elder return. The Mountaineers secondary will counter with one of the country’s top corners in Shaun Jolly. Defensive end Demetrius Taylor (seven sacks) is an excellent pass rusher.
App State run game vs. Charlotte run defense
Like Charlotte, App State will be trying to replace its top rusher, Darrynton Evans. And, like the 49ers, the Mountaineers will likely do it by committee with Marcus Williams, Daetrich Harrington and Camerun Peoples. Charlotte’s run defense struggled last season, but the interior has been bulked up with players like Vanderbilt grad transfer Siah S’ao.
App State pass game vs. Charlotte pass defense
It all starts up front for Charlotte, which has accomplished pass rushers in Tyriq Harris (who missed last season with a back injury) and Markees Watts (9.5 sacks last season). The 49ers backfield, led by safety Ben DeLuca (who broke his shoulder in last season’s App State-Charlotte game), will have its hands full with Mountaineers quarterback Zac Thomas’s chemistry with players like receiver Thomas Hennigan (61 catches, 773 yards, 6 TDs last season).
Charlotte special teams vs. App State special teams
This was a mismatch in last season’s game, with App State blocking a punt for a touchdown and Evans returning an onside kick for a score in the final minutes. Charlotte has a new special teams coordinator in Charles Bankins to fix what were constant special-teams problems all season. The Mountaineers have scored six special-teams touchdowns over the past two seasons. Charlotte’s Jonathan Cruz and App State’s Chandler Staton are among the top kickers in their leagues.
Charlotte intangibles vs. App State intangibles
The 49ers will always feel like they’ve got something to prove until they beat the Mountaineers — and they won’t have another chance to do it until 2026. They’re also eager to show that last season — first winning record and bowl appearance in program history — wasn’t a fluke. The Mountaineers want to show they’re not ready to miss a beat under new coach Shawn Clark, a former App State player who is the program’s third head coach in the past three seasons.